The new automated Hanwha Solar sign hangs above left field at AT&T Park.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

The new automated Hanwha Solar sign hangs above left field at...

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Brian Goodrich (left) and Jeff Winsor paint the postseason logo on the field at AT&T Park for Game 1 of the playoffs.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Brian Goodrich (left) and Jeff Winsor paint the postseason logo on...

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Statues of Giants greats such as pitcher Juan Marichal ring the San Francisco waterfront ballpark.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

Statues of Giants greats such as pitcher Juan Marichal ring the San...

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 05: General view of AT&T Park with a rainbow in the background during the first inning between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 5, 2012 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

Only the most fervent baseball fan pays attention to every moment of a game and, as every good Giants fan knows, AT&T Park offers an abundance of distractions.

Some are obvious, starting with the perch on the edge of China Basin and not omitting the caloric array of dining options. Some are as nuanced as one-out bunting strategies.

With the latter in mind and the playoffs ahead, here's another way to view the ballpark, as a user-friendly tutorial in urban design.

Don't believe everything you see. While strolling the concourse behind the lower-deck seats, check out the structure that supports the deck above. Taut steel emerges from thick concrete beams and columns - columns that are wrapped in a thin coat of ever-so-nostalgic brick.

Some design flaws can be fixed. When the ballpark opened in 2000, those concourses were claustrophobic, dimly lit and overstuffed with concession stands. Now the lights are better, large overhead section signs have been replaced by smaller signs attached to the columns, and most of the freestanding concession kiosks have been removed.

Juxtapositions cast a spell. The concourse remains a narrow bazaar with compressed views of the action on the field, then it meets the walkway above right field and spacious vistas unfurl on all sides. Neither experience would be as vivid without its counterpart nearby.

Context is complex. The bay views from the upper deck are terrific. So are the skyline views from the rear concourse high above King Street. Fascinating as well is the emerging landscape of Mission Bay, San Francisco's newest neighborhood taking shape before our eyes.

The shock of the new soon fades. "San Francisco will now have a permanent, ugly and monstrous stain on its skyline," declared one Chronicle columnist when the Giants were allowed to place an 80-foot-long Coca-Cola bottle near the scoreboard. More recent, the addition of an automated Hanwha Solar sign above left field - jutting from the upper deck, no less - was critiqued by our editorial page editor as "an assault on the senses, a UFO in the night sky." The Brobdingnagian bottle now is part of the scenery. As for the flickering gimmick, I think it's kind of cute.

The value of history endures. Ours is a society where people want to move through a landscape with at least a veneer of authenticity. So you meet friends at Willie Mays Plaza, admire the replicas of aged scorecards on overhead signs, buy food at a Doggie Diner kiosk and measure the wind by the flags along the upper deck, each one honoring a Giants pennant of yore.

Some icons are more iconic than others. It's clear which structural symbol of our city reigns supreme, at least within the confines of AT&T Park. Not only are cable cars used as a decorating theme for food kiosks, a real one sits behind the center field bleachers and is open for all to explore. By comparison, the only homage to the Golden Gate Bridge is the International Orange hue of "Willie," Suprina Kenney's rather bizarre Cubist sculpture of the Say Hey Kid.

Every space has its price. Lift your gaze and contemplate the scoreboard. Or the outfield wall. Or the rim of the upper deck. By my count, there are 32 corporate logos on view once you reach your seat. Nor does that include the miniature billboards that line the circulation ramps and the framed pitches at eye level above urinals (ladies, I kid you not). It's ballpark as branding opportunity - as pervasive as the commercialized clutter that continues to spread along our public streets, sorry to say.